


The survivor

by CertifiedAngstWriter



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Angst, M/M, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:14:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CertifiedAngstWriter/pseuds/CertifiedAngstWriter
Summary: It’s just a normal day at torchwood... until The metal men come to visit and then it isn't anymore.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	The survivor

It was a normal day at torchwood. Ianto ran round after everyone, clearing up after them and making coffee. Jack flashed a toothy grin to anyone who would look at him and Gwen tosh and Owen worked diligently ... well ... for about half an hour. So yeah, it was a completely normal day at torchwood... except until it wasn't.

It began with a rift alert at around four am. They could only see the outlines of the figures at the scene in the early morning haze. They had assumed the crowds were humans, on their way home from a long Friday night of partying. They looked like humans anyway. Gwen said she had seen something glitter on the floor ... something metal so they assumed the rift alert had been some random debris. Jack had said it could wait. They never thought it would be... well... what it was.

Ianto was stood not far away from the computers as he cleaned. It was tosh who had checked the cctv footage. If she hadn't ... well, they never would have known. "Jack! That ... that crowd of people they're heading towards the hub ... like... like an army" she exclaimed tapping frantically on her keyboard, trying to find some sort of reasonable explanation. That was when the 'army' crossed under the streetlights. "They're cybermen... the lot of them!" Jack exclaimed as they glinted one by one under the light. Ianto spun around so fast he was surprised he didn't give himself whiplash. "We need to send the hub into emergency lockdown!" Someone exclaimed, ianto couldn't really hear them through the buzzing in his ears. He shook his head fiercely, he needed to be calm about this. He strode briskly over to the computer to join the team. "Gwen must've seen one of their feet" he offered as they mused about the 'debris' they had supposedly spotted earlier. "Well... we dealt with that cyberchick" Owen tried to reason "how hard can this be?". Ianto shook his head attempting to keep his breathing under control. "Her name was lisa and ... she wasn't fully converted these are ... ruthless no emotions no remorse no pity ... they um ... they're also in a group ... sort of a division... they ... they're kind of like an army" He managed to choke out, ianto was very glad for jack's soothing touch to the lower half of his back. "There seems to be four groups" tosh added as she watched them approach the hub. Gwen frowned "four ... why would they need four?". Ianto gulped and took a breath "that's one for the layer we're on... one for the layer above, one for the layer below us and one for the outside ... they'll have us surrounded". Ianto tried to ignore the tears that threatened to spill as jack began the emergency lockdown... of course it wouldn't keep them out but... it would buy time. Soon enough they heard it. The chilling sound of clanging metal on concrete and the robotic shouts of "delete... delete... torchwood will be deleted... The survivor will be retrieved" Ianto felt sick... he started to shake... the survivor ... that had to be him... right? "Ianto... ianto are you listening to me! I said ... can you help me get these programmes running" tosh half shouted in an exasperated tone. But ianto couldnt move... he felt paralysed. He had seen what those things could do and now... he was going to lose his colleagues... his... friends all over again. He was grateful when jack started to help tosh. 

Ianto didn't mean to run... he really didn't. It was instinct. He was just ... so scared. It happened when the Cybermen burst through the normally secure doors like they were made of nothing but cardboard. The team were gearing up .. ready to put up a fight. It was like a switch was flicked in Ianto's brain. His breath quickened and he stumbled back... he was no longer frozen. "Ianto?... ianto take this gun... what's wrong?... ianto!". Jack's voice didn't register in his mind, all he could hear was ... Yvonne. He remembered how she had grabbed him by the shoulders "ianto!" She had exclaimed desperately "ianto you're still young... you have a life to live... go! ... just run anywhere... hide deep in the archives ... and then, when you get the chance ... run... run and don't stop... they won't take the world ... I'll make sure of it.. but that's not your job ... your job now is to run.. my orders!". So ianto did ... he ran ... deep into the archives... except now ... they seemed to know where to look for him.

He covered his mouth with his hand, so tightly he thought he might suffocate. The tears ran down his cheeks as his body rocked with silent sobs. The shelf he was behind offered no protection as the thumping came to a halt. Suddenly the shelf in front of him collapsed, everything clattering to the ground as a metal arm punched its way through... revealing him... the shaking teaboy. He braved himself for death... or some kind of makeshift conversion... what happened next was somehow even worse. The cyberman seemed to scan him, "you are. Ianto jones. You are. Relevant."

Ianto was dragged out of the archives, shaking in the cyberman's vice like grip. He was terrified... what were they going to do with him?... why hadn't they killed him... they wanted the survivor didn't they? Well... they had him... right? He couldn't help but feel guilty as he was stood in front of the team... his teammates. They were helpless ... each held tight by a cyberman, forced to their knees ... their guns lay at least four metres away from them. Ianto had left them... effectively... to die. "Ianto jones." His capturer announced "protector of the cybermen." 

Ianto couldn't believe it. He was so confused. He glanced to jack helplessly. He couldn't believe what he saw in the captains eyes. Sadness, fear, but even worse.... betrayal and... pure hatred. It took ianto by surprise he'd never seen people turn so quickly. "I'm not ... I didn't" he tried to explain, failing miserably "where is the survivor" a cyberman demanded. "What?" Ianto choked ... wasn't the survivor him? "The survivor ... we have come to collect the survivor you were seen to be saving". Ianto shuddered as the cold grip on his arm tightened. As quickly as it had appeared... the hatred in jack's eyes vanished "Lisa..." Ianto breathed "she... didn't make it... Shes been destroyed" he explained in a shuddering voice. "You have been deemed. Unimportant. You will be deleted". Ianto closed his eyes, preparing for impact preparing for the pain... when... the cold hand on his arm vanished. He dropped to the floor, snapping into action as the cyberman shot. The laser hit his capturer square in the chest as he rolled away, the screams of the suffering cyberman echoing loud around the hub. He was sure it was temporary ... he was sure they were all going to die until... every cyberman in the room straightened. "Message from the cyber leader. It will commence without the survivor" a robotic voice announced, the cybermen turned in unison as they began to march towards the exit. "What ... what will commence" jack yelled, still on the floor. The last cyberman turned in the doorway, "world domination". It was then ianto realised... the buzzing was back ... he couldn't breathe. He tried to gasp for air ... he tried to swallow.. nothing. He clutched at the metal grating that was the floor. The rest of the team stood shakily questioning whether everyone was okay. But Ianto didn't hear them ... he couldn't breathe. He was dying... he must be. Tears poured down his cheeks uncontrollably... but ... he didn't even realise. "Ianto?" Tosh questioned, she was the first to notice. "Ianto... are you okay? What's going on?", a male voice ... Owen ... or jack? Ianto couldn't tell. "He's having a panic attack!" okay that one had to be the medic. He was vaguely aware of people moving towards him. "Don't crowd him!" Someone exclaimed. He felt a presence next to him "Ianto... ianto mate ... can you hear me... I want you to focus on my voice can you do that?" It was no use. Owen glanced around, suddenly he felt helpless. Jack stepped forward, squatting down beside ianto, just like Owen had. "Hey... Ianto... hey cariad... listen to me ... that's right ... focus on my voice" he soothed. Somehow... through the haze and buzzing ... Ianto heard it... he heard jack. He followed the captains voice to what he hoped was safety. It usually was. He tried to focus on what he could see... jack's face... and what he could touch... jack's hand... and what he could hear... jack's soothing voice. Jack pressed a soft kiss to iantos lips... and there it was, the last two senses... the smell of jack's pheromones and the all too familiar taste of him. It all came flooding back to him at once, his newly calmed breathing hitched again... we need to stop them!" He exclaimed, trying to struggle his way to a computer. Jack shook his head, "me tosh Owen and Gwen do... with the help of unit or something ... you don't". Ianto looked at him as if he was mad... "no I need to help I need". Jack stopped him "I need you safe" he told him "I need you calm and happy and not... not like this". Ianto relaxed under jack's touch once more ... maybe ... just this once... it wasn't his responsibility.


End file.
